Address The Ball

A New Experience: The Ranch Golf Club Well everyone, this past weekend I competed in my first US Am Tour event held at The Ranch Golf Club in Southwick, MA. I've played this course a few times in the past so I thought I had an idea of what to expect. What I did not account for was the loss of my putting stroke for the duration of the round. Here's an overview of what to expect if you ever find yourself with a tee time waiting for you at TRGC.  Overview First, let's start with the overall experience at The Ranch. Upon arrival, the friendly staff picked me up from my car in a golf cart and drove me and my clubs to the registration area. That's where I was sorted into my cart, and was able to jet over to the practice facility for a warmup. The range was small but in decent shape. I was able to progress through my bag feeling confident with each of my clubs. Then I shifted to the practice green and chipping area to work on five-footers and some longer lag putts. After get...

Hello everyone, and welcome back to another post of Address The Ball. Just a short update for you all on this fine Friday.  I am happy to report that I will be making my amateur debut tomorrow at The Ranch Golf Club playing in an event for the US Am Tour. Competitive golf has been my goal for the past 7 years and I am finally taking a leap of faith. The best things that have happened in my life all occurred out of spontaneity, that's what led me to this decision.  I will be teeing off in the late morning in one of the last groups with a great friend also joining in the fun. This will be a day to remember, and it is the first step of many.  Lately I have been hitting great shots off the tee, acceptable shots from the fairway, and have been dialed in with the short game. I figured that it's right now, or never when it comes entering competitions. As I enter my last month of being 28, it's time to undertake a task that I planned on tackling over 3 years ago, thwarted by the ...

Friday at the '23 Travelers Good morning everyone, and happy Sunday! After four long years, I finally made my return to the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, CT on Friday, June 23rd. Like years past the atmosphere was incredible, the fans were electric, and the volunteers were as friendly as ever. It was great to get back amongst the players and broadcasters to watch them do what they do best: play golf, and report on it.   Notable moments included a fist-bump from 2021 Master's Champion, Hideki Matsuyama, $12.50 Truly's, a high-five from Smylie Kaufman, and some nice banter with Frank Nobilo (great to see you again, Frank!).  Enough of the pleasantries, it was a great day to watch some outstanding golf. The weather held off for the most part as I spent a significant portion of the morning following Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, and Tony Finau as my marquee group. It's not often that you get to see the WGR #1 and #2 duke it out in the same group just a couple hours fro...

Travelers Championship: Years Gone By I'll always remember my first voyage to the Travelers Championship back in 2017. That drive into TPC River Highlands will stick with me forever, it's my version of pulling up to Augusta via Magnolia Lane, and not because TPC was an overwhelmingly beautiful course. It's because I arrived that Sunday in 2017 with a group of friends that has not reunited in a few years.  Fresh out of college enjoying the jubilation of my first Travelers Sunday led me to believe that this will be a yearly staple in our friend group. A morning Dunkin' run just outside of Boston, an animated 2-hour car ride down, and questionable decisions all around (who needs sunscreen, am I right?).  The truth is, you never know how special a moment is until you spend the next 5 years trying to recreate it in some way or another. I still have my youth as I am only 28, but in your early 20s, you can't acknowledge that things can and will be different much sooner tha...

Morning at Unicorn Golf Course This week I was fortunate enough to have a day off so I set out to play a quick 9-holes before doing anything else. I scanned local tee times and decided on the short course just north of Boston. I have played this course numerous times and wanted an easy drive and a layout that I was familiar with; enter Unicorn Golf Course.  The Unicorn Golf Course, established in 1928 by the Boston Athletic Association, was a prestigious 18-hole private golf course. It was designed by the renowned architectural firm of Stiles and Van Kleek, spanning parts of Stoneham and Woburn. In 1972, the town of Stoneham acquired the Stoneham section and transformed it into a premier nine-hole course called Unicorn. Nestled atop a picturesque hill, the course offers a diverse experience with some open holes and others framed by magnificent, sprawling oak trees along its beautiful fairways. From the blue tees, the course measures 3,234 yards and has a par of 35, with a slope rat...

Hello everyone,  Welcome to the first posting of Address the Ball.  We are a New England-based golf collaborative dedicated to discussing all aspects of the game and you can find us anywhere from municipal courses to major championships. The goal of  Address the Ball  is to explore areas of golf that are otherwise unseen, overlooked, and unknown. We aspire to showcase golf innovation and golf history to encourage a new generation of lifelong golfers. In this first post, I am going to tell you a little about myself and how I got into golf.  M y introduction to the game started when I was a 5-year-old and my grandfather put a set of plastic golf clubs in my hand in my grandparents' backyard. After a brief tutorial on how to hold the club, he told me to " Address the ball ". I looked down to my feet and had no idea what was next, I just wanted to get the ball up in the air. With extended family standing around on a Sunday afternoon watching me, the cool grass ...